The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah has ordered the Attorney General, Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong to take back from Smartty’s Management Limited – the company which undertook the rebranding of the 116 Metro Mass buses – a total of Ȼ1.9 million.
A report delivered to the Chief Justice by the Attorney General on Tuesday, said the Ȼ1.9 million is an excess payment made for the service rendered.
The Chief of Staff last week requested the Attorney General to probe the contract after the public outcry over the reckless manner in which the tax payers hard earned monies had been spent.
A detailed pro-forma invoice for the re-branding of the buses revealed government paid Ȼ11,000 for stickers fixed on each bus.
The pro-forma invoice dated 17th July 2015, and signed by the Accounts Officer of Smarttys Management and Productions and copied to the Ministry of Transport, put the total cost of branding for each bus at Ȼ30,420.00.
Smarttys Management and Productions is owned by Selassie Ibrahim, an actress cum entrepreneur and a known sympathizer of the ruling government.
However, in her report submitted on Tuesday, the Attorney General found that there were no cost comparisons to what was submitted by Smartty’s Management because of the method of procurement and the procedures used.
The procurement method, the report noted, did not also ensure value for money.
Independent consultations made by the Attorney General with some leading motor firms in the country confirmed that the contract would have been executed at a cheaper cost if other bids were considered and price comparisons made.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Transport, Dzifa Aku Ativor whose ministry supervised the branding deal has resigned her position.
A letter dated December 22, 2015, thanked the ruling Party and President Mahama for the opportunity to serve.
Her resignation came hours after a report on the recent brouhaha over the metro mass branding saga hit her ministry and the ruling government.